Remote speed control of electric motors



May 13, 1947, J. L. ANDERSON 2,420,345

REMOTE CONTROL OF ELECTRIC MOTORS original Filed Feb. 15, 1943 INVENTOR `fawzeu L Anderson FTQ@ mkg Fl G. Z. ATTORNEYS Patented May 13, 1947 REMOTE SPEED CONTROL OF ELECTRIC MOTORS James L. Anderson, Closter, N. J., assigner to Air Reduction Company, Incorporated, a corm poration of New York Original application February l5, 1943, Serial No. 476,020. Divided and this application March 24, 1943, Serial No. 480,306

(Cl. 17h-312) 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a system for controlM ling the speed of an electric motor by remote control.

The present application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 476,020, iiled February l5, 1943. That application discloses the motor speed-control system, constituting the subject matter of the present application, as applied to a strip welding machine, but it may be used in various other relations as will hereinafter f tor that the one governor on the pilot motor con f trois not only the speed of the pilot motor but the speed of the remote motor as well, and man ual adiustment ofthe governor of the pilot mom tor at the control panel to vary its speed produces a corresponding change in the speed ci? the n.

remote motor.

fFor illustrative purposes the improved speed control system will be described as applied to the carriage-propelling motor and nller rod feed motor disclosed in the copending application. above referred to. The strip welding machine therein disclosed is intended particularly for welding new lengths to a strip of sheet metal to be fed to continuous tube forming and. welding apparatus or to a continuous :mill re-roliing. It comprises a self-propelled carriage which is driven by an electric motor and which carries a welding torch and also means operated by an electric motor for feeding filler rod or wire into the weld. In cases where such torch carriage must operate on large Worlopieces involving dis tances that put the carriage out the attendant, such as sheet metal made .for auto mobile body presses, it is advantageous to be able to adjust by remote control the speed of the cara nage-propelling motor and the speed of the mom tor which feeds the filler rod or wire.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic representation. ci the speed control system applied to the alomfelrlerv1 tioned motors on a torch carriage;

F18. 2 is a side elevation partly n section ci one of the pilot motors and its speed governor, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse taken on. the me 3 3 of 2.

Two small electric motors preferaby ci the series-wound type. represented diagrammatically at lill and in Fig. l, are supported from the back of a stationary control panel 22 and serve as pilot motors. Each of these motors is equipped with a centrifugal governor which actuates switch contact |09 electrically connected in the motor circuit as hereinafter described. Each motor and its governor may be of a type that is well known and commonly used in mechanical cutting and 'welding equipment. Such a governorequipped motor is shown and described in detail in Patent No. 2.032343, issued March 3, 1936. .2 and 3 of the present application show enough of the motor and its governor to make the operation of the governor clear. The covernor has e. plate |30 of insulating material secured to one end oi' the motor armature shaft. Two concentric conductor rings |3| and |32 are fastened to the inner side of the plate |30, and these conductor rings are contacted by brushes iil and |33 respectively. Two brackets |35 and i3d are fastened to the outer side of the plate 230 and are electrically connected with the conductos rings |3| and |32 respectively. Spring blade arms i3l and |38 are secured to the brackets 35 |30 respectively and each of these carries one ci a pair of switch contacts |09 which normally touch each other. The movement ci the outer end of the arm |31 in one direction is limited by a link |39 connected to a bell crank. lever M0 which is pivotally supported by the plate |30. A speedmadjusting screw |4| threads through the top of the governor casing lili bears against one arm of the bell crank lever 40. The screw |4| has a knob |43 at its cuter end for the manual adjustment of the governor.

When the pilot motor is running, the contact ends of both arms |31 and |38 tend to move away from the center of rotation by centrifugal force. The ends of the arms |31 and |38 which are secured to 'the brackets |35 and |36 are fixed with respect to the plate |30 and the arms must theren fore bend as the contact points move away from the center of rotation. These arms being of spring material permit the contact points |09 to move farther as the speed of the motor increases, and the centrifugal force becomes greater. When the arm i3l moves out as far as the linie |39 will permit, a further increase in motor speed causes the arm |38 to move away from the arm |31 and break the motor circuit at the contacts |09. As

soon as the speed of the motor drops slightly the contacts |08 reclose. The arms |31 and |30 and their contacts thus constitute a switch that is opened by centrifugal force at a certain speed of the motor depending upon the adjustment of the knob |43. By adjusting the knob the speed-level at which the motor is maintained by the governor may be varied.

In Fig. 1 the knob which adjusts the speed governor of the pilot motor |01 is designated |43 while the knob for adjusting the speed governor of the pilot motor |08 is designated |43. Both knobs may be on the front of the control panel 22.

The propelling motor for the carriage is represented at 24. It is preferably connected in parallel with the pilot motor |01 but in series with the switch contacts |09 controlled by the centrifugal governor of this pilot motor. The wire-feed motor on the carriage I4 is represented at 66. It is preferably connected in parallel with the pilot motor |08 but in series with the switch contacts |08 controlled by the centrifugal governor of this pilot motor. The motor 24 and the pilot motor |01 are of similar construction so that the centrifugal governor driven by the pilot motor |01 holds not only the pilot motor |01 at a substantially constant speed but also holds the motor 24 at a substantially constant speed. By turning the knob |43 to the left, the motor 24 can be made to run faster and the speed of the carriage I4 increased. By turning the knob |43 the other Way the carriage |43 slowed down. In welding apparatus of the type herein disclosed the controlled motor 24 operates under substantially constant load conditions and is therefore held at a substantially constant speed by the governor on the pilot motor. Of course, if there is a variable load on the motor 24 the governor on the pilot motor would have to be adjusted with changes in load on the controlled motor if its speed is to be kept constant. The governor on the pilot motor does not necessarily cause the motor 24 to operate at the same speed as the pilot motor, although in practice both motors will probably run at somewhere near the same speed. The important thing is that whatever the speed of the controlled moof similar construction so that the governory driven by the pilot motor |08 holds not only the pilot motor at a substantially constant speed but also holds the motor 66 at a substantially constant speed. In this connection it will be understoodthat in welding apparatus of the type herein disclosed the motor 66, like the carriage-propelling motor, operates under substantially constant load conditions to change the speed of the pilot motor |08 produces a similar change in the speed of the wire-feed motor 66 on the carriage. The knobs |43 and |43 thus provide a remote control for the speed of the motors 24 and 6G on the carriage I4.

The pilot motors |01 and |08 run continuously when the apparatus is in use. Power is supplied to the carriage motor 24 through the contacts |09 of the governor on the pilot motor |01. The

motor 24 is connected 'with the other side of the line by either of two conductors III or ||1. The' conductor ||l leads to a contact of a normally open relay Ill, and when this relay is closed the motor circuit is completed and the motor runs in a forward direction. The conductor ||1 leads to a contact of another normally open relay ||9, and when this relay is closed the motor 24 runs in a reverse direction.

The switches shown in Fig. 1, with the exception of the switch that is operated by the buttons |03, have a bias toward either open or closed position and are shown -in this view in their normal positions, that is, the positions toward which they are biased. The switch operated by buttons |03 has no bias either way.

The top switch button that projects throuh the plate |02 of the control panel closes a normally open switch |2| that completes the circuit of the relay ||8 and causes that relay to be energized. The middle switch button of the plate |02 closes a normally open switch |22 that causes the relay ||8 to be energized. The relays III and I I9 are stick relays and are de-energized by pressing the bottom switch button of the plate f |02 to open a switch |23 that connects the coils of both of the relays ||8 and ||9 with the power line. Opening of the switch |23, therefore, stops the motor 24 no matter which direction it is running. Limit switches, not shown, may be provided for automatically stopping the carriage at or near the ends of its track in a manner well understood in the art.

The Wire-feed motor 68 is connected with one side of the power line through the contacts |00 of the speed governor of the pilot motor |00, and to the other side of the power line through a switch |25 that is closed by the upper switch button |03 and opened by the lower switch button |03. As previously explained, the switch |25 has no bias. It remains closed or open until one of the buttons |03 is operated to change the position of the switch. Pressing the top button |03 therefore starts the wire-feed motor 66 and pressing the lower button |03 stops the motor 66.

In practice the different buttons on the control panel are marked to indicate what they control, but the scale of the drawing is not large enough to show these markings. The two motors represented at 43 and 50 in Fig. 1 are for adjusting the welding torch as described in the parent application above referred to, but these motors formno part of the invention of this application.

While the remote control system herein described is particularly useful for controlling the speed of one or more motors on a carriage, such as that employed in mechanical cutting or welding apparatus of the kind above described where the motors operate under substantially constant load conditions, it may be used in many other relations whether the working motor whose speed is to be controlled is mounted on a carriage or not. The motor that is remotely controlled may be any motor producing power to perform useful Work under substantially constant load conditions while the pilot motor need not perform work of any kind other than to operate its centrifugal governor which controls the speed of both motors.

While the system has been referred to asl a remote control system, it will be understood that the term remote is not used to designate the actual distance from the working motor to the control station but to indicate that control in speed of the working motor is accomplished, not by a centrifugal governor or other means on that motor itself, but by adjusting a centrifugal speed governor on a separate pilot or control motor. In fact the pilot motor might even be positioned close to the working motor whose speed is to be controlled if conditions are such that adjustment of a speed governor directly on the working motor would be dlfllcult or impossible, as when it is completely enclosed in a casing or housing and not readily accessible.

I claim:

1. The combination of a self-propelled carriage having an electric motor carried thereby for propelling the same, a pilot motor located at a stationary control station, an adjustable centrifugal governor operated by and responsive to the speed of the pilot motor and having electric switch contacts adapted to be actuated by the governor and electrically connected in a circuit of the pilot motor and also electrically connected in a circuit of the motor on the carriage whereby the speed of both motors is maintained substantially constant when the load on the carriage motor is substantially constant, and manually operable means at the control station for adjusting the governor on the pilot motor whereby the speed at which each motor is maintained by the governor may be varied.

2. The combination of a carriage adapted to move along va course, an electric motor carried by the carriage, a stationary control panel, a pilot electric motor mounted on said panel, an adjustable centrifugal governor operated by and responsive to the speed of the pilot motor for maintaining its speed substantially constant, the motor on the carriage being Iconnected to said governor such that its speed is also maintained substantially constanty thereby under substantially constant load conditions, and manually operable means on the control panel for adjusting said centrifugal governor whereby the speed at which each motor is maintained by the governor may be varied.

3. The combination of a carriage adapted to move along a course, an electric motor carried by the carriage, a stationary control panel. a pilot electric motor mounted on said panel, an adjustable centrifugal governor operated by and responsive to the speed of the pilot motor and having electric switch controls adapted to be actuated by the governor and electrically connected in a circuit of the pilot motor and also electrically connected in a circuit of the motor on the carriage whereby the speed of both motors is maintained substantially constant by the single governor when the load on the carriage motor is substantially constant, and manually operable y means on the control panel for adjusting said centrifugal governor whereby the speed at which each motor is maintained by the governor may be varied.

4. A speed-control system for electric motors comprising a main working motor whose speed is to be controlled, a pilot motor, an adjustable centrifugal governor for maintaining the speed of said pilot motor substantially constant, said governor being responsive to the speed of the pilot motor, the main working motor being so connected to said governor that its speed also is maintained substantially constant thereby under substantially constant load conditions, and manuallyoperable means associated with the governor and movable to various positions for adjusting said governor, whereby the speed at which the main working motor runs under constant load conditions is regulatable by said manually-operable means.

r JAMES L. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file oi this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,676,985 Haughton July 10, 1928 720,729 McDonnell Feb. 17, 1903 1,857,202 Lee May 10, 1932 

